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The Approaches of Life Imprisonment as an Alternative to the Death Penalty in China

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On the Alternative Punishment to the Death Penalty in China

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Abstract

This chapter will explore the approaches to life imprisonment as an alternative to the death penalty in China. This chapter will analyse the present theoretical debates among Chinese scholars on alternatives to the death penalty. Even though these debates are very limited, there are some suggestions for alternative punishments, i.e., life imprisonment, the death penalty with reprieve and multiple alternative punishments. Then this chapter will explore the legislative changes related to life imprisonment introduced by the Eighth Amendment and the Ninth Amendment. Based on these theoretical debates and legislation, this chapter intends to offer my proposal, which is that aggravated life imprisonment, which puts many more restrictions on commutation, could be chosen to replace immediate execution, with no parole granted. This chapter will also consider the potential changes to the alternative punishment to the death penalty in China, which include changes being made in the substantive criminal law and the procedural criminal law. Theoretical debates among Chinese scholars on alternatives to the death penalty are quite limited, but, thus far, there are three main theoretical suggestions for alternative punishments, i.e., life imprisonment, the death penalty with reprieve and multiple alternative punishments.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    赵秉志 [ZHAO Bingzhi], 《中国死刑替代措施要论》 [On Alternative Measures to the Death Penalty in China], above no. 394, 35.

  2. 2.

    See 张新甦 [ZHANG Xinsu], 《终身自由刑替代死刑制度研究》 [On Life Imprisonment as a Substitution for the Death Penalty], 吉林大学博士论文 [Ph.D. Dissertation, Jilin University], 2013, 160–163.

  3. 3.

    See, e.g., 高铭暄, 楼伯坤 [GAO Mingxuan and Lou Bokun], 《死刑替代位阶上无期徒刑的改良》 [Ways to Reform the Life Sentence: An Alternative to the Death Penalty], 现代法学 [Modern Law Science] 2010, No. 6, 89.

  4. 4.

    See especially 张明楷 [ZHANG Mingkai], 《死刑的废止不需要终身刑替代》 [The Abolition of Capital Punishment Does Not Need Life-Long Liberty Punishment], 法学研究[ Chinese Journal of Law] 2008, Vol. 13, No. 2, 94; see also 王志祥 [WANG Zhixiang], above no. 395, 201–303. This paper was published in 2015, after the Eighth Amendment to the Criminal Law in 2011, which had already increased the minimum prison sentence; the author argues that it is not necessary to change the punishment currently used to replace the death penalty as the requirements of punishing the crime and protecting the social order have already been fully satisfied.

  5. 5.

    See especially 李希惠 [LI Xihui], above no. 14, 29. Even though the term of punishment actually to be served by those sentenced to life imprisonment may be around 25 years, some scholars argue that the criminal may only be granted commutation or parole after serving no less than ten years in prison. See also 高铭暄, 楼伯坤 [GAO Mingxuan and Lou Bokun], above no. 802, 94.

  6. 6.

    See, e.g., 张秀玲 [ZHANG Xiuling], above no. 558, 141–146.

  7. 7.

    《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 50.

  8. 8.

    See 钊作俊 [ZHAO Zuojun], 《中国死刑之现状与走向》 [On the Reality and Trends of the Death Penalty in China], 郑州轻工业学院学报 (社会科学版) [Journal of Zhengzhou University of Light Industry (Social Science)] 2004, Vol. 5, No. 2, 45.

  9. 9.

    See, e.g., 张文, 黄伟明 [ZHANG Wen and HUANG Weiming], 《死缓应当作为死刑执行的必经程序》 [The Death Sentence with Reprieve Should Be Introduced as A Necessary Procedure of Immediate Execution], 现代法学 [Modern Law Science] 2004, Vol. 26, No. 4, 75.

  10. 10.

    Ibid, 78.

  11. 11.

    See 高铭暄 [GAO Mingxuan], 《略论中国刑法中的死刑替代措施》 [Brief Discussion on the Alternative Measures to the Death Penalty in Chinese Criminal Law], above no. 13, 20.

  12. 12.

    See ibid, 20–21. This argument is also supported by Professor Chen Xingliang, who argues that one of the important factors favoring the death penalty is the enormous pressure faced by the court from the victim’s family who ask for the offender to be sentenced to death. The alternative measure proposed by Prof. Gao, can, to a great extent, make the victim’s family understand and accept that it is not necessary to use the death penalty, and so reduce the pressure on the court. He believes that this proposal is feasible. See also 陈兴良 [CHEN Xingliang], 《犯罪范围的扩张与刑罚结构的调整》 [On the Expansion of the Scope of the Crime and the Adjustment of the Punishment Structure: Comment on the Ninth Amendment], 法律科学 (西北政法大学学报) [Science of Law (Journal of Northwest University of Political Science and Law)] 2016, No. 4, 187–188.

  13. 13.

    WRIGHT Julian H., above no. 383, 529.

  14. 14.

    高铭暄, 苏惠渔, 于志刚[ GAO Mingxuan, SU Huiyu and YU Zhigang], above no. 2, 4.

  15. 15.

    See 关于 < 中华人民共和国刑法修正案（八）（草案） > 的说明》 [The Explanations for the Draft of the Eighth Amendment to Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], 《关于 < 中华人民共和国刑法修正案（九）（草案） > 的说明》 [The Explanations for the Draft of the Ninth Amendment to Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 8.

  16. 16.

    See 《关于 < 中华人民共和国刑法修正案（九）（草案） > 的说明》 [The Explanations for the Draft of the Ninth Amendment to Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 8.

  17. 17.

    《中华人民共和国刑法修正案(八)》 [The Eighth Amendment to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 1, Article 4.

  18. 18.

    According to the 1997 Criminal Law, if a convict performs any significant meritorious act, the sentence shall be commuted to imprisonment of no less than 15 years but no more than 20 years upon expiry of the two-year period. See 《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 50.

  19. 19.

    Ibid.

  20. 20.

    Ibid., Article 10.

  21. 21.

    《中华人民共和国刑法修正案(八)》 [The Eighth Amendment to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 1, Articles 14 and 16.

  22. 22.

    Ibid, Articles 4 and 15.

  23. 23.

    《中华人民共和国刑法修正案(九)》 [The Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 6, Article 2.

  24. 24.

    《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 50.

  25. 25.

    Ibid, Article 44.

  26. 26.

    《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 383.

  27. 27.

    《中华人民共和国刑法修正案(八)》 [The Eighth Amendment to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 1, Article 4.

  28. 28.

    Ibid, Articles 16 and 《最高人民法院关于办理减刑、假释案件具体应用法律若干问题的规定》 [The Judicial Interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on the Issues of Commutation and Parole adopted by the Supreme People’s Court], 法释 [2012]2号 [Legal Interpretation, No. 2, 2012], Article18. Available at: 法律图书馆 [Law Library] http://www.law-lib.com/law/law_view.asp?id=376011. (Last visited: January 23rd, 2024).

  29. 29.

    《中华人民共和国刑法修正案(八)》 [The Eighth Amendment to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], above no. 1, Article 7.

  30. 30.

    《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 48.

  31. 31.

    Ibid.

  32. 32.

    储怀值 [CHU Huaizhi], 《死刑司法控制：完整解读刑法第四十八条》 [Judicial Control of Death Penalty: A Comprehensive Understanding of Article 48 of Penal Code], above no. 234, 1015.

  33. 33.

    See 劳东燕 [LAO Dongyan], 《死刑适用标准的体系化构造》 [System of the Standards on the Application of the Death Penalty], 法学研究 [Chinese Journal of Law] 2015, No. 1, 185.

  34. 34.

    《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 50.

  35. 35.

    Ibid, Article 78.

  36. 36.

    Ibid.

  37. 37.

    The term “an aggravated life imprisonment” is from the Turkey’s Criminal Code. According to Turkey’s Criminal Code, aggravated life imprisonment lasts until the death of the convict and is enforced under the strict security regime measures as defined in law and legislation. See Criminal Code of Turkey (2011) Law No. 5237 of September 26, 2004, as amended to Law No. 6217 of March 31, 2011, Article 47.

  38. 38.

    Huang Gui, above no. 114, 3.

  39. 39.

    Ibid., 4.

  40. 40.

    Ibid.

  41. 41.

    储怀值 [CHU Haizhi], 《刑事一体化》 [Criminal Science Integration], 法律出版社 [Law Press·China], Beijing, 2004, 281.

  42. 42.

    《刑法最新罪名一览表》 [Chart Showing the New Crimes in the Criminal Law], above no. 125.

  43. 43.

    These 46 crimes are punishable by death; life imprisonment for these crimes is a possible alternative to capital punishment, and is even the lightest punishment for some crimes, such as kidnapping (Article 239(2)). See 《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 239(2).

  44. 44.

    These crimes include crimes of producing or selling food that is not up to safety standards (Article 143), producing fake pesticides, fake animal pharmaceuticals or fake chemical fertilizers or selling pesticides, animal pharmaceuticals, chemical fertilizers or seeds (Article 147), forming or using superstitious sects or secret societies or ‘unusual’ religious organizations or using superstition to undermine the implementation of laws and administrative rules and regulations (Article 300), making arrangements for another person to illegally cross the national border (Article 318), and illegally possessing narcotic drugs (Article 348). See 《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997.

  45. 45.

    This is the crime of smuggling, trafficking in, transporting or manufacturing narcotic drugs, provided by Article 347 (1). See 《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 347(1).

  46. 46.

    李晓欧 [LI Xiaoou], 《中国重刑化弊端及其限制路径——以 < 中华人民共和国刑法修正案（八） > 为观照》[The Drawbacks of Heavy Punishment in China and the Road to Limit them: Based on the Eighth Amendment to the Criminal Law of the P.R.C.], 当代法学 [Contemporary Law Review] 2010, No. 6, 40.

  47. 47.

    曾亚杰 [ZENG Yajie], 《我国无期徒刑制度改革探析》 [On the Reformation of the Life Imprisonment System in China], 时代法学 [Presentday Law Sciences] 2008, Vol. 6, No. 2, 74.

  48. 48.

    See 《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997.

  49. 49.

    高铭暄, 苏惠渔,于志刚 [GAO Mingxuan, SU Huiyu and YU Zhigang], above no. 2, 6.

  50. 50.

    See 《最高人民法院关于常见犯罪的量刑指导意见》 [The Sentencing Guidance of The Supreme People’s Court for the Common Crimes], available at: 最高人民法院网 [The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China] http://www.court.gov.cn/shenpan-xiangqing-6622.html. (Last visited: January 24th, 2024).

  51. 51.

    See 陈学勇 [CHEN Xueyong], 《最高人民法院扩大量刑规范化罪名和刑种试点： 将危险驾驶罪等8种罪名纳入规范范围》 [The Supreme People’s Court Increasing the Number of Crimes and Their Corresponding Punishments and Adding Pilot Locations for Sentencing Standardization: Adding the Crime of Dangerous Driving to the Other 8 Crimes in the Scope of Sentencing Standardization], available at: 中国法院网 [China Court Internet] http://www.chinacourt.org/article/detail/2016/05/id/1884273.shtml. (Last visited: January 24th, 2024).

  52. 52.

    《中华人民共和国刑法》 [Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 83, 14 March 1997, Article 49.

  53. 53.

    See 《中华人民共和国刑事诉讼法》 [The Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China], Order No. 64, 1July 1979, Articles 20, 21 and 22.

  54. 54.

    See ibid, Articles 235–240.

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  1. Law School, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China

    Gui Huang

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Huang, G. (2024). The Approaches of Life Imprisonment as an Alternative to the Death Penalty in China. In: On the Alternative Punishment to the Death Penalty in China. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1627-2_6

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